The novel’s depiction of the fae draws heavily on traditional Celtic and wider European folklore, where these beings are portrayed as powerful, morally ambiguous, and potentially dangerous, rather than the miniature, whimsical sprites popularized by Victorian children’s fiction. Filthy Rich Fae incorporates several key mythological motifs to structure its plot and establish the rules of its supernatural world. One of the most central is the magically binding bargain. In folklore, deals struck with the fae are absolute and often rely on clever, literal interpretations of language. Similarly, Lachlan’s repeated questioning of Cate about what she would offer for her brother’s life culminates in a binding pact when she declares she would give “anything,” resulting in him claiming her soul. This is a classic trope where a mortal’s desperation leads to an unbreakable magical contract.

Another critical motif is the peril of consuming fae food. This belief, recorded in both Celtic folklore and classical myth, holds that eating or drinking in the realm of the supernatural will trap a mortal there forever. The Greek myth of Persephone and the pomegranate is echoed in medieval Irish literature, where mortals taken to the land of the fae are warned not to partake of its food. Filthy Rich Fae directly invokes this tradition when Lachlan first warns Cate, saying, “Don’t eat or drink anything here” (18), only to later cajole her into taking a bite of an apple, which seals her bargain and transports her to the Otherworld. This parallel realm, which is a common feature in fae myths like that of Thomas the Rhymer, aligns with the Celtic concept of a coexisting but separate domain that operates by its own moral logic. Mortals who enter it often face tests of wit or moral integrity before they are allowed to return. The novel draws on these established motifs to ground its fantasy elements within established mythological precedents.